Assos is one of the best-known premium cycling brands. The Swiss manufacturer is renowned for its excellent products, technical fabrics and sometimes eye-watering prices.
Very broadly, their range is split into two, with Equipe products designed for racing and maximum speed, whilst the Mille (Uma for women) clothing concentrates more on long-distance comfort.
It’s fair to say that I used to be a huge fan of Assos cycling shorts. The annual trip to Mallorca always involved a ride to the Assos outlet shop in Alcudia to buy up more discounted S5 shorts (the ones with the turquoise pad), and at one point, I owned more than 10 pairs. When they finally got replaced with the S7 shorts, I tried them, but the leg length for them and subsequent iterations never seemed quite long enough. As these S11 shorts claim to have been extended in the leg department, I had high hopes that they would hit the spot once more.
Construction
Sometimes it can be a bit of a struggle finding technical details for a product, with scant information available about the fabrics or designs (Van Rysel, for example). Not so with Assos. It sometimes seems as if almost every stitch, panel and material has its own trademarked name and spec sheet. Still, behind the marketing blurb, there is usually some sound thinking and worthwhile benefits for the rider, so bear with me.
The pad (or GT S11 Insert, as Assos calls it) uses the ‘goldenGate’ design, which means that the pad is only attached to the shorts at the front and rear. This leaves the central section free to float and move more with the body rather than the bum moving on the pad, causing friction.
Not just comfy on a saddle, the pad was good for sitting on benches too
(Image credit: Kim Russon)
Snappily titled the Shock-Absord Damping Mono 12, the pad itself is on the thicker side at 12mm, as befits the shorts’ endurance aspirations, with foam cushioning that includes a 3-layer, perforated 3D Waffle for improved breathability. The front part of the pad (forward of the section that is sat on) is made from a very soft fabric for comfort without bulk, called Sundeck Tec by Assos.
Externally, the most obvious feature of the Mille GT Bib Shorts S11 (especially on this colour) is the rollBar. This has been used on their Equipe Racing Series shorts before, but what it does is extend the rear straps down to attach to the panel that contains the pad, as well as the upper hem of the shorts. Assos says that this adds stability to the pad and prevents it from moving when transitioning between riding in and out of the saddle.
The extended straps look a little strange, but work well enough
(Image credit: Kim Russon)
New for the Mille GT Bib Shorts is the QUARTZ fabric used throughout. It’s a warp knit that is light and breathable, as well as offering permanent odourControl. 80% of the material is made from pre-consumer recycled polyamide.
Unusually for a premium modern short, the lower hems aren’t raw-cut, but are made using PILtec Plug-in as a separate band around the legs. This has a number of silicone micro dots for grip.
PILtec Plug-in hem and grippy micro dots
(Image credit: Kim Russon)
Men’s shorts are available in XS to 3XL with Burgundy Red, Moss Green, Wild Brown and blackSeries as the colour choices. Women’s sizes are XS to 2XL in the same colours.
The ride
Northern England in February is not the ideal test bed for cycling shorts, but as the launch of the new Mille GT Bib Shorts S11 and jersey coincided with a winter sun trip to the Canary Islands, I was able to get a good few miles in without suffering frostbite.
Heading out for a 100km ride in brand new shorts is not always a great idea, but if there is one thing that Assos always seems to consistently nail, it’s the pad, so I had full confidence that the S11 insert would be comfy, and I wasn’t wrong. Hundreds of kilometres (and a good few washing cycles) later, and the pad is still great, and my previous experience with Assos suggests that it will last many years.
I can’t quantify the difference the rollBar straps make to the pad’s comfort, but the design logic is sound, and they spread the load and reduce strain on the rear panel. It does look a bit odd, though, with the straps poking out from beneath the jersey.
(Image credit: Kim Russon)
The straps themselves are in a simple A-frame, crossing at the back, although the strap construction is quite interesting – at the crossover point, the elastic changes, with the section over the shoulders and down the front offering considerably more stretch than the rear part. This adds stability to the rear of the shorts but allows for fewer restrictions when standing upright. It’s details like this that set Assos apart from other brands
As part of the shorts’ endurance-based design, the waistband at the front is noticeably looser than that on many shorts. This is great for less contorted pee stops and accommodating large Spanish lunches, but less useful for keeping everything in check for photos. The quick-drying QUARTZ fabric proved itself nicely breathable and pleasant to wear, and Assos promises that the black colour option won’t fade.
QUARTZ fabric, but no raw-cut hems here
(Image credit: Tim Russon)
Initially, I thought that the new, increased leg length was perfect, but I did notice that over the course of a ride, the legs rode up a little, and for me, another centimetre or so in length wouldn’t have gone amiss – for example, the Castelli Espresso shorts are a better length for me. Some other shorts in the Assos range are offered in a long version, but not the Mille GT Bib Shorts. Overall, though, my usual size large was the correct size for me.
The PILtec Plug-in, or hem with grippers to you and me, was comfy and didn’t irritate my skin even after wearing them all day, but it did feel a little retro to look down and see a separate hem piece rather than a raw-cut edge.
Value and conclusion
The Mille GT range is made for long days in the saddle, and there is no doubt that they worked very well in this respect. As ever, the best compliment that I can pay to a pair of shorts is that I barely thought about them whilst riding. No adjustment, no rearranging, no niggling or irritation and no reaching for my emergency sachet of chamois cream.
(Image credit: Kim Russon)
The very pleasant surprise is that the Mille GT Bib Shorts S11 are ‘only’ £135 and are Assos’ cheapest bibs (and the matching Mille GT Jersey S11 Evo is their least expensive top). Now, this is still a reasonable amount to pay, but it is pretty much mid-range for good shorts, and for Assos, it can almost be called a bargain.
Whilst I personally would have liked an even longer leg length and maybe a slightly more compressive waistband, there will be many riders who prefer this new set-up, so I won’t knock any stars off for something so subjective.
Therefore, given the comfort, execution and reasonable price, the Mille GT Bib Shorts S11 get 5 stars.
